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This is very scary when viewed all at once. A must read. Farenheit 451 is starting to sound like a good idea-targeting just law libraries. (Not a call to

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, Feb 3, 2003

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This is very scary when viewed all at
once. A must read.

Farenheit 451 is starting to sound like a good
idea-targeting just law libraries. (Not a call to
"terrorism!)

This article will help you anwer the
question: "Who are the real "paper
terrorists"?

Tim

One thing is for certain; there will never be
reform without reformers willing to make a fight if
necessary. Or at least a group of decent, honest
people that are just sick and tired of being
criminals.

Yes, that's right. I, R. Lee
Wrights, being of sound mind and aging body, do solemnly
acclaim and justly affirm that I am a criminal. And, if I do my job correctly, by the time you finish reading this you will realize
that you are a criminal also; and, that something needs
to be done about it.

My premise is simply that
government, not only at the federal level but in particular at the state and local level, has grown so gorged and
bloated that it has become virtually impossible for any
of us to remain "law-abiding citizens." In order
to be law-abiding, one must first know and understand
the law. Now I ask you, in today's society how
many people really know, let alone understand, "the
law?" Moreover, how many policemen really know or,
more importantly, understand the law? Do the lawyers and judges, who are charged with the protection of America's most sacred
document, even understand the law? Judging from the
number of appealed judgments these days, it would appear
that even these "protectors of justice" are unable to
effectively untangle the thicket of jurisprudence created by the endless loads of fertilizer produced by the various
legislatures.

Just the number of laws one would
have to familiarize themselves with in order to become
adequately knowledgeable makes the task near to impossible. Why, we would all have to go to law school just to get to a proper
starting point of understanding the law. Last
year, in North Carolina alone, 519 new laws were passed
by the General Assembly.
Sixty new laws took affect in the Old North State on
January 1st of this year. Add these to the tens of thousands of laws already on the books and you begin to see the
enormity of the endeavor to properly understand justice
and how its principles are to be applied. And that
is just in one state, folks. I wonder how many "new" laws have been instituted where you live this year?

Still skeptical? Take an
afternoon and go to the nearest law library. Even the name "law library" should send a chill down any thinking person's
spine. I am not talking about a corner of your
local public library where you'll find a shelf or two
stocked with reference books about a particular subject. No, I mean a whole library devoted to cataloging all
the things you and I are not allowed to do. Whole
rooms filled wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with a
seemingly endless array of laws, statutes, and regulations. Shelf next to shelf, volume upon volume, and page
after page, creating a twisting, turning maze of
decisions, rulings and appeals. This is where you
go when you seek comprehension of the chains that fetter your pursuit of happiness. Have a seat and look around at what you
must learn if you really want to be an honest,
up-standing, law-abiding citizen.

Government has simply made it too
easy to break the law for us not to be criminals.
I mean, you are required to have a license or permit to do practically everything. That means that you must go to a
bureaucrat somewhere and ask their permission before you
proceed or you become a criminal. If you want to
drive to work, you must first have a paper from the
State that says you are allowed to operate a vehicle. If you want to
improve your home, you are required to go downtown and
stand before your elected rulers and beg their
indulgence so that you can add that patio or finish your
basement. If you want to get a job to support your family, you
cannot do so without a number supplied by the benevolent
nannies that soil the seats of CONgress.
How long does this list have to be before you
realize that if you have to ask permission to do
everything, not only will you eventually slip up and
become a criminal, but you have also ceased to be
free? With every new law
enacted another little piece of liberty dies.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies my point
more so than a personal experience I had about 6 or 7
years ago. I was invited by a friend to accompany him on a fishing expedition to one of the local lakes owned by the county
where we both reside. Being the careful individual
that I am, I researched the laws concerning wildlife
management, as well as, the regulations adopted by the county. I found that if I only fished using live bait, the law
did not require that I obtain a fishing license as long
as I remained in the county of my residence. I was
very pleased with myself that I had found a way to save
a few bucks on what promised to be an enjoyable outing.

However, the day was not to go
unspoiled. Not long after we had launched our boat
and found what we thought looked like a promising spot, we were approached by a game warden. I remained unconcerned as we
chatted and I proudly showed him that I was only using
live bait and therefore required no state
sanction. He asked for proof of my residence, which I supplied via
business cards and a recent tax bill that I was going to
pay on my way home. It was then that he informed
me that I was in violation of state law. I was
beginning to protest that I was in full compliance of the wildlife management code when the warden told me he was not referring to the
wildlife code. It was then that I learned I was in
violation of state law for appearing in public and not
possessing a picture ID. At that moment, the veil
was lifted from my eyes as my day of personal enlightenment
dawned.

I realized that every time I set
foot off of my own property, I became a criminal.
I violate the law each and every time I take a leisurely stroll around my neighborhood. In almost half a century on this earth,
I have never been arrested, much less convicted of a
crime; and yet, all I have to do to become a criminal in
the eyes of the State is leave home! Why? Because
I do not have a snapshot of myself, taken by a state-sanctioned bureaucrat, in my pocket when I go out in public. I must ask you, am I really free? Are
you really free? Are your papers in order? Are you a criminal?

There are laws regulating everything
from what color you can and cannot paint your house to
what kind of sex in which two consenting adults are allowed to engage. Why is it like this? Crime is big
business, that's why. In fact, crime is
government's biggest industry.

Surprised to
see me say that? It really isn't all that odd when you consider that the State derives revenue on both sides of the
law. Remember, all those licenses and permits you
are required to obtain are accompanied by fees.
While on the flip side, every breach of the never-ending, self-perpetuating, always-growing bureaucracy carries a fine.
You are forced to pay in order to abide by the law so
you can avoid having to pay for breaking the
law.

Therefore, as the beast has grown,
it has become the State's own self interest that drives
legislators to constantly search for new sources of revenue. That's why 519 laws were passed in my home state last
year. That is why 500 new laws will probably be passed
this year, and again next year, and again the year after
that. The only way a government can realize greater
income than it does today is either by accelerating tax increases; or, by creating new ways for us to become criminals and providing the
appropriately-priced bounties required to avoid becoming
criminals. So you see,
every new law not only nibbles away at your freedom while further gorging an already bloated beast Bureaucracy, it also becomes a new
source of revenue for the State.

So, we are left with the question,
"What can been done about it?" Take my advice, do
yourself a favor and educate yourself. Do a little digging and
find out all the different options made available to
you, by your friends in government, for becoming a
criminal. Then perhaps we will see the emergence
of what is needed to reverse the encroachment of the law - Reform. You have to get fed up with the foolishness of endless
legislation and do something. Speak against
further regulation at every opportunity in any venue
that opportunity provides. Run for public office as a truly reform-minded candidate, or support such candidates wherever they can
be found. One thing is for certain; there will never be
reform without reformers willing to make a fight if
necessary. Or at least a group of decent, honest
people that are just sick and tired of being criminals. Come on folks, enough is enough!

* * *

R. Lee Wrights is a writer and
political activist living in North Carolina. He is
co-founder and editor-in-chief of the free speech online magazine "Liberty For All" and an editor at Free-Market.Net.

Note: A similar Texas law
requiring one to produce his ID when asked for it by any Officer was thrown
out as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in "Brown vs. Texas", 443 U.S.
47 (1979).

Our thanks to Rick
Toms, North Carolina JIC, ricktoms@..., for sending this to
J.A.I.L. If we had Mr. Wrights' email address, we would invite him to join
J.A.I.L.'s email list, and to become a North Carolina JAILer.

The above article
reminds me of when I worked for the DA's office, I asked a senior deputy why the
laws are so numerous and so complicated, and he responded (to the effect)
"That's done on purpose, so you and I can have this job, and so that attorneys
in general and their staffs can make money." He said, "If the law were simple to
understand, there would be no need for attorneys to figure it out for the
public. We'd be out of a job." [Not an exact quote, but close] Well,
he was honest on that score! -Barbie

J.A.I.L. is an acronym for Judicial Accountability
Initiative LawJAIL's very informative website is found at www.jail4judges.orgJAIL proposes a
unique new addition to our form of government.JAIL is powerful! JAIL is
dynamic! JAIL is America's ONLY hope!JAIL is spreading across America like a
fast moving wildfire!JAIL is making inroads into Congress for federal
accountability!JAIL may be supported at P.O. Box 207, N. Hollywood, CA
91603To subscribe or be removed: add-remove-jail@...E-Groups sign on at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jail4judges/joinOpen forum to make your voice heard JAIL-SoundOff@egroups.comAsk not
what J.A.I.L. can do for me, but ask what I can do for
J.A.I.L.

"..it does not require
a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush
fires in people's minds.." - Samuel Adams

"There are a thousand
hacking at the branches of evil to one who isstriking at the
root."
-- Henry David Thoreau
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